The alarm went off at 5:30am and after discovering the shower was ice cold I decided that yesterday's time in the hot springs would suffice. After a wholesome breakfast of bread, coca tea and some unknown juice, we were picked up in the mini bus and headed to Colca Canyon.

There were a couple of stops first though, in a couple of towns on route. It was very early and very cold and these towns are like every other small town in Peru so Si and I weren't particularly into it. In the first one there were some people doing some traditional dancing (it was only 7am) and some ladies offering the opportunity for a photo with more llamas, alpacas and domestic eagles. The eagles were pretty impressive but we decided against a photo. In the next town we did an obligatory walk down the short street and waited for the rest of our group to finish perusing the stalls. Before we left, our guide Lorena gave us some of the local cactus fruit to try. It's similar to a kiwi but really sour.

We were now finally on our way to the Cruz del Condor to see the canyon. The canyon was pretty but the condors definitely stole the show. They were incredible! With a 3 meter wingspan they are huge and we could see them really close when they flew past. We could have sat and watched them for hours.

After around an hour and a half we headed back to Chivay to grab some lunch before heading back to Arequipa. On the way back we stopped at a couple of lookouts to see the pre-Inka and Inka terraces. In Peru they create the terraces as its impossible to farm the hill otherwise. It also prevents the nutrients and minerals from being washed down the mountain side. These result in a gorgeous landscape and may even steal the show from the canyon (but not the condors).

All in all the tour was probably the least enjoyable tour we had done. We really should have done the trekking instead but we couldn't face more walking so soon after Machu Picchu. We didn't feel like we got the true 'experience' just being ferried around from place to place in a mini bus. These kind of tours also attract a different demographic of people (yes I am being very diplomatic) so it just wasn't as fun. Karma for us being so lazy!

The tour dropped us back in Arequipa so we headed back to our hostel as we had left our big bags there and got ourselves ready for our last overnight bus of our South American adventure.Read more

We opted for the conventional tour by bus which was 2 days 1 night as we were still tired from our Machu Picchu trip. We were collected at 8.30am from our hostel with a few others from USA and Thailand, as well a Peruvian family and were on our way.

Just before leaving Arequipa we stopped at a shop for people to use the bathroom, buy water or buy some coca leaf products to help with the altitude. Me and Blake haven't really suffered from the altitude so we didn't bother with the latter however the guide bought a big bag of leaves and demonstrated how you can chew them. It involves taking 5 or 6 leaves and wrapping them around a small sweet ash stone that comes with them. This acts as a catalyst and is supposed to help with the taste of the leaves. She then handed around a clump for us all to try. Apart from making your gum slightly numb and providing a rancid taste in your mouth neither of us could see the long term appeal and spat them out shortly after!

Our first stop was at the entrance to the Reserve National de Aguada Blanca where we could see vicuña, alpacas and llamas. I don't know if you've seen our previous posts or Blakes phone but I think we have more than enough pictures of those!

We had another short pit stop for the loo and a taste of Inka té. We have had coca tea which is similar to green tea just a bit stronger but Inka tea was coca leaves and 3 other plant based things. It was like growing a bush from a mug but drinking from it! I took a few mouthfuls and handed the rest to Blake.

Our next stop was at Patapampa which was our highest point of the trip (and South America so far) at 4,910 meters. Here we could see the apachetas which are the stone piles you often see at the beach. There were hundreds of the things! This place was also the volcano look out point where you could see 8 volcanoes including Misti, Ubinas and Chachani. One of them was also smoking from the top which we were told had started 2 years ago.

Next we drove to Chivay, the little town we would stay in before the canyon the next day. We were shown to our hostel and had some down time before heading to the hot springs.

The springs were a nice treat but nothing in comparison to the ones we visited in our Machu Picchu trip. We hopped into the hottest pool and stayed there for the next hour or so.

In the evening we went to a restaurant for dinner which also had a folklore show. There was a four piece band on stage and a couple dancing four traditional dances. On the first dance they pulled people from the crowd so when our food arrived we ate very slowly so as not to be dragged up. On one of the dances they even got people from the crowd to lie on the floor and whipped them. The girl was definitely eyeing me up for this but I grabbed my fork and started eating cold green beans I had left on the side of my plate. Unfortunately we didn't escape the entire performance as we were eventually pulled up into a conga type dance around the restaurant for the last dance.Read more

Whenever anyone travels in underdeveloped countries like Peru, one challenge which is commonly encountered, but seldom discussed, is blocked toilets. People who are not experienced travelers may not realize that, in most countries on earth, it is a definite no-no to put toilet paper in the toilet. Most hotels will have a sign next to the toilet advising that it is NOT for toilet paper. So what do you do with the toilet paper then ? They will always have a small bin next to the toilet which is specifically for the used toilet paper.
Although this might initially seem quite gross to many, there is actually a very good reason for it. It is because the sewer pipes and sewer treatment plants (if there are any) are simply not designed to cope with anything other than human waste. Those who choose to ignore this direction are likely to see the very daunting sight of the water in the bowl rising to potentially disastrous levels and hoping that it will somehow unblock itself. This is just another example of things we take for granted daily in Australia, are quite different in other places.
Why am I mentioning this ? I’d rather not got into too much detail, suffice to say that I might have had one of those nervous moments, just before checking out of our hotel in Puno. Of course, after our two nights in the city by Lake Titicaca, it was time for us to continue our journey towards Arequipa – the land of volcanoes.
Our team loaded our luggage into the waiting bus and settled down to another long day on the road. In fact our journey was going to be over 350 km and would take us much higher than any other place we had visited so far in Peru. Fortunately the roads were generally quite good and our new driver proved to be capable and careful.
During the morning we continued across the flat altiplano at an almost constant elevation of around 4000 metres. The warm sunshine coming in the bus window soon made me sleepy. In fact, lately I am discovering that just about everything makes me sleepy. When I looked around the bus I saw that many of the others had already succumbed and were fast asleep.
The kilometers slowly ticked away until we started to climb steadily. We passed a succession of beautiful high lakes, some populated with pink flamingoes. When we finally pulled to a stop it was to admire the breathtaking views (and at this altitude, everything is breathtaking) and to be entertained by a small group selling all sorts of handicrafts. Up to now I had strongly resisted the urge to get out my wallet, but it must have been the thin air, or maybe the fact that we only had a few more days in Peru, or maybe it was because the sellers were really good natured and ready to bargain. Whatever the reason I found myself happily picking up an assortment of goods and handing over a number of Sols (Peruvian currency). It actually felt good to be making the traders happy although I am not exactly sure how much my bag will weigh when I get it to the airport at Arequipa.
After the retail therapy, the mood in the bus was quite light hearted as we compared what we had purchased. The kilometers continued to slowly tick by. The elevation continued to increase. At around noon we stopped at a rather barren looking roadside stop to eat our box lunches. The coffee was excellent and the weather was absolutely perfect. We were also joined by our new guide. I did not catch her full name, but I think it was something like “Liz” or “Lisa”. This means we now parted company with Sue who had been an excellent educator and anecdote sharer for the past two days.
A little while later we saw the first volcanoes. I was very surprised that it was actually spewing forth an impressive cloud of smoke and ash. I had previously though that the volcanoes in this region were extinct. I could now see that they certainly aren’t. Lisa (or Liz ?) assured us that it was safe and that it was some years since it had rained death and destruction on the region.
At the highest part of the journey (almost 5000 metres) there were large patches of ice beside the road and countless other travelers had stacked rocks to form thousands of rock piles that stretched far in every direction. Of course we had to do the same, it would have been a sin not to do so. We each made a small rock pile, photographed it and then climbed back into the bus.
The next stage was a hair raising descent down to the town of Chivay (pronounced kibay). Our lives were very literally in the hands of the bus driver, but fortunately he was not suicidal and delivered us safely to our hotel for the night.
Tomorrow morning we rise (very) early to go to Colca Canyon to view the huge condors. These massive birds have wingspans up to 3 metres or more, making them one of the largest flying birds on the planet.Read more

Next stop Chivay. Here we went on a day trip to Colca Canyon (twice as big as the Grand Canyon). Great views and got to see many Condors in flight. On the way back we visited another hot spring for a spot of relaxation. Doug also made friends with an eagle and an alpaca.

"The Peruvian mainland has captured my heart. Lima was a great disappointment. It reminded me of Auckland. The contrast since leaving the cities has been amazing.

The local dress in the highlands is charming. Beautiful bowler hats, knitted sweaters and ponytails are everything I expected and more. It is also surreal to walk down the street without being harassed.

People whipped each other at the restaurant today. The whipping exorcises demons."Read more